Automatic water-supply system.



No. 818,558. I PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906. J. JOHNSON. AUTOMATIC WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 30, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED FEB. 27, 1906.

J. JOHNSON. AUTOMATIC WATER SUPPLY SYSTEM.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Jo /e71 J6 M APPLIOATION FILED JAN. 30, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN JOHNSON, OVERLAND PARK, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO THE COUNTRY HYDRANT COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPO- RATION OF MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC WATER-SUPPLY SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1906.

To all whom it may concern.--

Be it known that 1, JOHN JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Overland Park, county of St. Louisfand State of Missouri, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Automatic Water-Supply Systems, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to automatic watersupply systems, and has for its principal ob-.

ects to secure a continuous stream of water, to provide means for securing a continuous stream of water from an intermittently filling tank, to provide a novel mechanism for controlling the ascent and descent of a floating'tank, and other objects hereinafter more fully appearing.

My invention consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this sp ecificatiOn, and wherein like symols refer to like parts wherever they occur,

, a Figure 1 is a vertlcal sectional view through a well and the tanks therein, the controlling mechanism being shown in elevation. Fig.

2 is a view, on an enlarged scale, partiallyin section,showing-the controlling mechanism.

Automatic water-Suppl systems em loy ing a floating tankare su ject to the o jections that the flow of water stops during the time the tank is refilling. Though the filling period is short, the interruption of the stream of water is often inconvement.

matter of the present invention overcomes this objection.

I is placed. It is guided by a pip:

In a well, cistern, tank, or the like a tank 1 2 and rod 3, passing u wardly through well-platy a rod 5, passing downwardly Near the bottom of the tank a flap-valve 7 is arranged to permit admission of water, but prevent its escape. ,Water is discharged through a flexible pipe or tube 8,

communicating with thetank near its bot tom. The pipe 2 communicates with the tankat the top and is provided with athree Y way cock 9. Above the cook the pipe is con- The tank 1 may rise and fall within certain nected by a flexible pipe-or tube with a pipe 10, leading to a source of compressed e11.

limits; The cock 9 is turned'by means of The subject-- the reciprocation of the tank, a link 11, pivoted on the platform 4, being connected to an arm 12 on thecock. The link is provided with a slot 13 at the end connected to the arm of the cock, so as to prevent the turning of the cook until the full movementof the tank has begun.

The rise and. fall of the tank is controlled by mechanism which will now be described.

A frame 14 is mounted on the platform 4.,

of water that the combined weight of the tank and the water therein is the'buoyant force of the the tank, the tank will tend to sink. ever, it should not descend until it is full. On the other hand, when the tank has been greater than bined weight of the tank and the water remainin therein is less than the buoyant force 0 the water displaced by the tank the tank will tend to rise; but it should not rise until it is'nearly empty. To control the rise and fall of the tank, control-levers are provided.

water displaced by How emptied to such an extent that the com- A lever 18,provided with anadjustable poise 19, is ivoted in the frame 14. The inher end of t e lever is bifurcated. A dog 20 is pivoted between the bifurcations andis provided with laterally-extendin fingers 21, which rest upon the top of the ever. The dog projects inwardly beyond the end of the lever and into the ath ofa frusto-conical collar 22 on the guide-rod 3. As the tank rises the collar 22will trip the dog, and the lever 18 will ofiernoresistance to the upward movement; but when theItaIik descends the collar will engage thedog in the opposite direction. The dog and lever are locked against relative movement in this (ilIlECtlOIrby means of the fingers 21 and must move as if the dog were a rigidl -connected jp'art of the lever.

ICC.

Hence the co ar 22 cannot pass the dog until the lever is tilted. To do this there must be so much water in the tank that the combined welght of the water and tank exceeds the buoyant force of the water displaced by the tank by an" amount suflicient to counterbalance the poise 19 on the lever 18.

At a point .in the frame higher than the pivot of the lever 18 a lever 23 is pivoted. At its inner end it is bifurcated and carries a dog 24, projecting inwardly beyond the end of the lever. Fingers 25 on the dog engage the lower side of the lever and are held in engagement therewith by means of a downwardly-extending' arm 26 and weight 27, integral with the dog. The outer end of the lever 23 bears upon a lever 28, pivoted on the frame 14 and carrying an'adjustable poise 29 upon the other side of its fulcrum. The do 24 rojects into the ath of a frusto-conica col ar 30 on the gui e-rod 3. As the tank, rod, and collar descend the do 24 will be tripped, but not as they ascen Thus the upward movement of the tank is resisted. T e tank cannot rise until it has been emptied to such an extent that the buoyant force of the water displaced by the tank exceeds the combined welght of the tank and the water therein by an amount sufficient to counterbalance the poise 29 and the levers 23 and 28.

The outer ends of the levers 18 and 28 normally rest upon stops 31 and 32, respectively mounted on the platform. a The above-described controlling mechanism is more fully described and claimedin my co endin application filed October 22, 1904, erial 0. 229,612.

The arts so lows: onsider the parts in the position shown in the drawings. The tank 1 is in its lowermost position and the collar 16 is resting on the top of the frame of the controllin mechanism. The tank is comparatively and communication with the source of compressed air is open,so that the water is under pressure. This causes the closing of the flapvalve 7 and will cause the'discharge of water through the pipe 8. When the tank is emptied to such an extent that the buoyancy of the water dis laced by the tank exceeds the weight of t e tank and the water therein, it will rise until the collar 30 strikes the dog 24 on the lever 23. The tank will be held at that oint until the tank is further emptied, and t e excess of the buoyant force is suflicient to counterbalance the poise 29 and levers 23 and 28. The lever 23 will then be tilted and the tank will be permitted to'rise until the collar 17 strikes the platform. The

- lever 18 ofiers no resistance to the upward movement of the tank as the collar 22 trips the dog 20.. When the tank'l rises, the'cock 9 is turned and the compressed air is cut ofi "and communication between the interior of the tank and the atmosphere is opened.

Now the pressure of the water outside of the far described operate as.fol--' tank will open the flap-valve "7 and the tank will be filled. As soon as the tank has filled to such an extent that the weight of thetank and the water therein exceeds the buoyant force of the water displaced by the tank it will sink until the collar 22 engages the dog 20 on the lever 18. It will be held at that point until the excess of the weight of the tank and water therein over the buoyant force is sufficient to counterbalance the poise 19, when the lever 18 will tilt and the tank will be permitted to sink until the collar 16 strikes the top of the frame 14 of the control mechanism.

During the time the tank is refilling the water therein is relieved fromthe pressure of the compressed air. Hence the water cannot be forced through the discharge-pipe 8 to the main. To supply water during the time the tank 1 is filling, the following means is provided: A beam 33 is secured in the walls of the well, cistern, tank, or the like, above the tank 1, preferably. From the beam a tank 34 is suspended. It is preferably larger than the tank 1 and is provided with a central pipe 35, extending from top to bot-. tom, through which the air-pipe 2 passes. Near the bottom it is provided with a flapvalve 36, arranged to admit water, but to prevent its escape. The flexible ipe 8 communicates with the part contro ed by this valve. A discharge-, ipe 37 leads from near the bottom of the tan to a main 38. When compressed air is admitted to the tank 1, the water will be forced from the tank through the pipe 8 and into the tank 34 andmain 38. As the tank 34 fills the air trap ed therein will be compressed until it is under substantially the same ressure 'as the air admitted to the tank 1. en this condition has been brought about, the water will be forced through the main from the tank 1 just as if the tank 34 were not present. When, however, the tank 1 has been emptied and is refilling, the water-supply will. not be discontinued. As soon as the pressure in the tank 1 is cut ofi the pressure in the tank 34-will close the flap-valve 36. The water in the tank is under substantially the same pressure as if the tank were in communication with the source of compressed air. present the requisite pressure to force the water in the tank 34 through the mains. The tank 34 should be lar e enough to hold waterenough to supply t e maximum demand during the time required to refill the tank 1 and to hold air in such volume when com ressed that the expansion permitted by well, and this construction is preferred, for it is then out of th way and protected from the cold of winter and the heat of summer. HOW- Thus there is ever, it may be placed above ground, if desired. It has been shown above the level of the waterin the -'well but obviously it might be under water.

Obviously the system is capable of .considerable modification, within the S00 e of my invention, and therefore I do not WlSll to be limited to the specific construction shown and described.

What I claim as my openin and communicating ,with said sub merge tank, a cock in said air-pipe arranged to be automatically operated by the up-anddown movement of said submer ed tank, means to re ulate the movement 0 said submerged tan and. means of communication between said tanks whereby water from said submerged tank may enter said auxiliary tank and compress air trapped therein.

2. An automatic water-s11 ly system comprising a fixed tank, a verticdl y-movable submerged tank, a pipe connected to said movable tank and provided with a valve, means invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

for automatically openin said valve by the movement of said mova le tank, an inletvalve in said movable tank, means having a flexible element connecting said tanks, permitting'a flow of water from said movable tanktosaid fixed tank and preventing a flow in the opfposite direction,-means for the discharge 0 water from said fixed tank, and means to control the movement of said mov able tank comprising a frame, a rod arranged to move with said movable tank and pro vided with separated collars, a lever pivotally mounted on'said frame and provided with a pivoted dog projecting into the path of one of said projections, said lever and said dog having interlockin means whereby said dog will move with Said lever in one direction and will move with respect to said lever in the opposite direction, an adjustable poise on said ever, a lever pivoted on said fraine and having a partprojecting'into the path of the other of said collars on said rod, and means to oppose the movement of said lever in one direction.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the resence of two subscribing witnesses, at St. ouis, Missouri, this 27th day of January, 1905. JOHN JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

FRED F. REIsNE J. B. MEGOWN. 

